What say you?

Here is the deal.

We’ve been trapped in La Paz, Bolivia for over 5 weeks. All over the country there are road blocks and protests. Remember this post for all the details.

Yesterday we tried to make a run for it because the Government said there would be a 48 hour pause on protests. Remember this post for all the details.

We made it 4 hours south before hitting Oruro, the mining stronghold of Bolivia and a major center of government opposition. Apparently the “pause for negotiations” didn’t go so well. As soon as we swung around the city on the Pan-Americana highway, we hit the first active road block. Below Stevie hops out to assess the situation.

As we looked around, we saw road blocks everywhere. Most were set up with vans blocking the path. I’ve never seen so many vans in my life! Where the hell did these things come from?

We noticed that a few cars were turning off the highway and heading into the city. We decided to follow them hoping that there might be a vein that got through to the other side. As we got deeper into the city, we noticed that about every other street was blocked.

We also noticed that more road blocks were being put up as we were driving. We deduced that the negotiations must have gone bad and that the locals were throwing all the blocks back up.

We got suckered all the way into the center and for a while we were worried that we were going to get trapped down there behind all the blocks going up. We had to decide whether to continue to push through to the other side, or try to retreat back to the La Paz side. 

We made the call to retreat, but getting out wasn’t easy. Every other street was blocked, and although we often saw signs to La Paz, finding a way through the blocks proved to be quite a crux.

After about an hour of weaving, we finally found a vein that took us back out of the city. We drove the four hours back to La Paz. We burned through half our gas and wasted an entire day. Our spirits were low.

So, here we are back in La Paz with our friends from Lost World. They are waiting for their Brazilian visas, and then they are out of here on a burly route through the Amazon jungle. No road blocks or protesters where these guys are going! Unfortunately, everyone but me agrees that the Sprinter would never make it down that road. So that option is out, HA!

As for us, the way I see it we have three options.

1) We can retreat back to Peru, drive east, and then cross into Chile at Tacna.

2) We can drive east from La Paz across the Sajama desert and try to cross into Chile at a more remote border crossing.

3) We can wait until Sunday and try to drive south again, hoping that the protesters will be taking the day off (which, since they have every other Sunday, they probably will again).

Option #1 sounds heinous to both Stevie and I, so we’ve pretty much ruled it out. That leaves option #2 and #3.

I want #2, bail to Chile. I’m over it. Seems to me that we could be chillin on the beach in Chile in a couple days time. It’s winter swell there right now so the surf is firing. We got 2 months before we fly to the States for vacation, and the thought of spending that time relaxing in a predictable, easy 1st world country just sounds appealing.

Stevie wants option #3. She’s worried that we’d be leaving the best parts of Bolivia on the table, namely Sucre and the Salt Flats (the largest in the world),. We could get to Sucre on a Sunday, and we have the time to wait out the protest there if we have to. From Sucre, we could go to Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats) the following weekend (if the protests are still going on), and then cross into Northern Argentina–total of two weeks more in Bolivia.  She also makes a very good point about the massive increase in our burn rate if we go to Chile, specifically in lodging. We’ll go from paying $10 a night to $60, and over 2 months, that’s really gonna hurt.

So, what say you?

Do we go option #2 to Chile, or do we stay the course in Bolivia on option #3?

As of now, it’s a tie vote. Kiki of course voted with me, but apparently Soleil (the little traitor) voted with her Mama.

Help us close the Sprinter Life rift and make a decision. Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think. If you receive Sprinter Life by email, just reply to the email.

(Luis, your voice/vote doesn’t count)

-TREE

We tried to stay productive, but I was starting to get bummed as we stared a 5th straight week in the eye. I kept busy with work and Stevie spent her time writing.

I hunted down a dentist as my tooth was seriously bothering me ever since that dentist f’ed me up in Lima, Peru. I had been trying to make it to Argentina, but it wasn’t happening. As it turned out, I found an amazing dentist, probably the best I’ve had in years, and he fixed the problem!

I also managed to send my two climbing projects! I was really stoked on this. Finally starting to feel good on the rock again. Below are a couple crappy photos my GoPro 3 took on auto pilot. I’ve got to learn how to use that camera better.

Below, my climbing buddy Eric gifts me an imported beer for the effort! Nice treat.

So, climbing projects sent, dentist done, all caught up on work… still stuck. I was really starting to get depressed, until I woke up this morning and saw the front page. Translation, there is going to be a 48 hour pause on the road blocks while the protesters try to reach an agreement with the Government.

BAM! This is our window. We’re outta here.

We’re going to leave at 6am tomorrow morning and try to make it to Sucre while the roads are temporarily open. It’s now or never. These negotiations are a long shot, and if they don’t reach an agreement, chances are that escalations will spike on Wednesday.

If we can get to Sucre in the south of the country, at least we’ll be a stones throw from the Argentinian border. I’m confident we can get to Sucre, but my big concern is gas. We’ve got a full tank, plus our gas cans, so we can go 800 miles. Hopefully we can buy gas down there! We’ve heard that most of the stations are out since the re-fueling trucks haven’t been able to get through.

On the positive note, our very close friends from Lost World were stuck in Sucre and they just made it to La Paz after a grinding 12 hour drive. So, we’ll go for it tomorrow.

Unfortunately, this only leaves us 24 hours to see our friends, Luis and Lacey. They are heading northeast on a burly route through eastern Bolivia and into the Brazilian Amazon. These guys rock.

Not sure when we’ll see them again, so we’re making the most of the short time we have together.

Below, Sol gets comfortable in Uncle Luis’s Land Cruiser.

Looks like we’ll be having a big party tonight. Us, Lost World, and our bad ass new friends from Brazil!

Then tomorrow at 6am we’re outta here. Wish us luck as we run the gauntlet!

-TREE

The fact is, we’re trapped in La Paz, Bolivia.

Bolivian mining unions have staged marches, protests and riots to demand better pensions to President Evo Morales. Street demonstrations are being held in the cities of Cochabamba, Oruro, Santa Cruz and La Paz, with road blocks blocking the highways connecting to the center and east of the country. Government Minister Carlos Romero reported that demonstrations were also held in Chuquisaca with roadblocks on the southern regions of Tarija and Potosí.

So, while we’ve been unable to move south, our friends from Lost World Expeditions are trapped down south, unable to move north! What a mess!

We’ve been calling the bus stations daily to get reports on the roads, and so far there are no signs that it’s getting any better. As a matter of fact, today we found out that all roads in and out of La Paz are now blocked. The most violent protests took place a week ago in El Alto outside of La Paz. Teachers beat a police officer, smashed his motorcycle, and destroyed a giant billboard. Wow, I don’t remember any of my teachers representing like that!

The anti-riot police dispersed the protesters with tear gas and arrested twenty of them for beating the police.

Dozens of miners were arrested this last week as they held marches and established roadblocks in several parts of the country. The miners then kidnapped 3 police officers to be exchanged for miners who were arrested in the protests.

So when will all this be over so we can go on our merry way? Nobody seems to know. Miners are demanding changes to the pension law to grant workers a monthly pension equal to one hundred percent of the last salary they received, but government officials claim that this will bankrupt the system.  Morales offered to raise the minimum retirement pension from $531 to $574. Morales then said that this offer is final “whatever the unions say and whatever they do.”

So, there you have it. I guess there could be worse places to be stuck. We’re camping in a nice place (Hotel Oberland), we have fast internet, we’re getting a hot shower at least every other day, and I’m surrounded by tons of great rock climbing.

A couple of weeks ago when I was out climbing I saw a gringo and immediately identified him as being from the States (usually they are always Euros). Eric is down here working for the US Embassy, and he also happens to be from Redmond, OR, the town right next to where I grew up. We of course knew a ton of the same people, climbers, and places. So, we started climbing together.

Below, Eric gets after it on a pumpy 5.12d

The rock down here, as Eric describes it, is “A mixture between Maple Canyon, Red Rocks, and Smith… all the worst parts”. He’s right, but the routes actually climb really well.

Putting in sessions with Eric has been great for my climbing. I’m pushing faster and harder than if I was just climbing with random people. I’ve got 2 projects going. Both should be sent in the near future.

The other night we went to have dinner with Eric and his wife Janet. That night turned out to be best of show! He asked us if we wanted a beer and I said “Sure,” expecting a swag Bolivian Pilsen. Then this mug breaks out Deschutes Brewery Microbrews!!! WTF!

Turns out this guy is sitting on a crazy stash, including Mirror Pond, recent issues of Rock n’ Ice mag, Pinot wines from the Willamette Valley, and a grip of Charmin toilet paper! You think that’s funny? You have no idea how impossible it is to get that stuff down here. Apparently the Embassy peeps have connections.  :)

Eric was nice enough to send us home with a nice care package, including a new 70m rope (one less thing I have to haul back to South America when we go to the States in August). Thanks buddy.

So although we’re trapped, we’re trying to be productive. Kiki was due to be groomed, so we drew straws and Stevie lost. She set out to find a dog groomer and, by the end of the day, came back with these guys. This dog has been groomed in 14 countries now, and I must say, this was a first! 

So now we wait. We wait for the protests to end. We wait for the road blocks to lift. We wait for a window to get through to the south. Hopefully it won’t be much longer.

-TREE

Soleil getting a good laugh at our current situation!

When Tree asked me what I wanted to do for Mother’s day, I knew I had to use my “special day advantage” to get him to take me to El Alto, a place he wanted to avoid at all costs, to see the Cholitas Luchadoras.

El Alto is a scary town. It’s cold, treeless, 13,000 feet above sea level, and home to 1 million people, most of whom fled there over the past three decades to escape the countryside’s heartbreaking privation. The lucky ones find steady jobs down in the capital city of La Paz, which sits just below El Alto; the unlucky ones employ themselves as beasts of burden.  Aside from the Luchadoras, El Alto is also famous for its open air market, the largest in the world, where the cholas can be found selling clothes, food, pirated DVDs, Barbie dolls, car parts, and small desiccated llama fetuses for magic rituals.

When we told our friend Pati (the ex-president of Bolivia’s daughter, remember here) that we would be going to El Alto to see the Luchadoras, she said to keep Sol strapped to my body at all times.  Children have been kidnapped from daycare centers in El Alto and returned a week later with a scar and a bandage where a kidney should be.  Our friend, Eric, who works at the U.S. embassy in La Paz, asked  how we would be getting there since taxi drivers, for fear of being shot point blank in the back of head by a would-be passenger, refuse to drive into El Alto.

All points taken with grace and gratitude, but nothing was going to keep me from seeing those Cholitas Luchadoras.

A Cholita is a Bolivian woman of Quechua or Aymara decent who dresses in traditional garb.  Their unique style is a mash-up of indigenous, Spanish Colonialism and early 20th century British attire. The Chola wears numerous petticoats underneath a sateen skirt–pleated if she’s married, not pleated if she’s single–called a pollera. On top, she covers with a blouse or sweater, a colorful shawl, decorative jewelry, and the iconic bowler hat. On her back, she ties a piece of handwoven fabric, the only part of her attire that is indigenous, used to carry either goods or small children.  The colors and designs on the fabric indicate from which region she is from.

A Luchadora is a female fighter. 

Thus, the Cholitas Luchadoras are bad ass women in fancy outfits duking it out.

Fifty years ago wrestling came to Bolivia, but eight years ago, it got good–real good–with the extraordinary creation of the cholitas luchadoras—fighting cholitas—which has given new life to Bolivians’ own version of Mexican lucha libre, a free-form spectacle somewhere between a wrestling match and a telenovela.

Almost as much fun as watching the show is watching the audience.  Emotions run high as the tecnicas (goodies) fight against the rudas (baddies) in the fight of good against evil, freedom against oppression, indigenous against imperialists, women against the ages.   Although the ringside seats are reserved for tour groups full of gringos, the Luchadoras play for the stands.

The show consists of multiple rounds with various match-ups.  Man against Man.  Man against Woman.  Woman against Woman.  Two women against Man.  You get the picture.  Although the fight sequence allows for much spontaneity, the winners of the fights are predetermined.  And if a Cholita is fighting a man, she will always win–at least in the end.  The beat down people of El Alto don’t save up all week and spend a whopping $2.50 to watch their beloved Cholitas–embodiments of tradition, family, indigenous culture, and motherhood, all that is sacred to Bolivians–lose.

I knew this, but for some reason I got emotional when the deranged maniac in a Jason-mask came out with a chainsaw, intent on hacking up the beautiful Cholita, Carmen.  She ran from him and beseeched the audience to intervene.  ”This is unfair!” she shouted.  ”He’s going to kill me! No!! Please! Help me! This isn’t right!”  After chasing her for a few minutes around the stadium, Jason corners her in the ring and throws her to the ground.  She lands with a thud, her legs go up, ruffled knickers in the air.  I had to choke back the tears.

The audience yells obscenities at the mad man and throws popcorn and shoes at him, but he pays no attention.  He throws Carmen out of the ring.  The referee starts the count.  Uno, Dos, Treis…Quince… But then the maniac goes after the Ref!!!

In the knick of time, Carmen musters her strength and climbs back into the ring. She puffs out her chest at the masked maniac, and beckons him to come forward with her hand. “You touch me, you die!,” she yells as she looks over her shoulder at the audience for support. They stand up and cheer, Go Cholita!!!!! Kill him!!!! He charges, but she’s too smart, too quick, too lethal. She runs to the corner and climbs up on the ropes and launches her body in a high-flying swan dive and sacks him to the ground. He’s down for the count.

The crowd goes wild.  I’m crying tears of joy and relief!! She won! Yay!!! Cholita won!!

I know it’s make believe, but I really loved seeing the Cholita defeat the crazed bastard who was trying to beat her up because in real life, this isn’t always the case; the goodies don’t always win.  In real life, violence, sexism, poverty and discrimination are still sizable foes that the Cholitas struggle to defeat.

The Cholas in the audience love it too.  Every Sunday for a few hours they get to watch women just like them–who are daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, even grandmothers!–defy the limitations of their culture and wrestle! (A man’s sport!)  And the Cholitas kick the holy shit out of all the demons that try to keep them down.

I know I walked out of the stadium feeling fierce, proud,and empowered.  I’m sure the Cholas did too.

As a mother, especially of a daughter, I honor the Fighting Cholitas for at once upholding their tradition and helping it evolve. They are proud to be mothers and wives, proud of their indigenous culture, but they are also proud to be wrestlers, women wrestlers, every bit as equal to men.

I think when Sol gets just a little older, we too will become wrestlers equipped with alter egos and costumes, fighting against poverty and evil and oppression! (Or maybe just Kiki and dad).

In the meantime, Happy Mother’s Day to all you Luchadoras Cholitas out there fighting for justice and equality in the world! -Stevie

Here’s a great three minute interview with Yolanda, one of the star Cholitas.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMbF_dPkL74

Caveat – I’m going to say “The World’s Most Dangerous Road” a lot in this post, not because it is, but because it sounds cool. 

My philosophy on life is simple, anything that begins with “The world’s most” or “the world’s best” must be experienced. I do not intend to miss out on these exceptional things while I’m visiting this planet.

Stevie, of course, said, “NO WAY.”  I wasn’t concerned with the reply of my co-pilot at the time. I knew I had a couple of years to wear her down. And that I did. By the time we hit La Paz, she was ready to join me on the drive.

We left La Paz on Monday morning, and our first mission was to make it out of the city. Easier said than done, even with a GPS!

We had heard rumors of major police road blocks and harassment, but we didn’t have a single problem. The Sprinter was cloaked in good karma. I even gave these guys a little ‘honk’ when one of their bikes failed to start. I was about to yell out the window, “get that piece of shit off the road,” but Stevie jabbed me in the ribs with her kindle.

With the help of our GPS, we sailed out of the city in record time. It was easy. We just followed Jesus. I found this to be a very good sign heading to “The Death Road”.

Onward, to The World’s Most Dangerous Road!!!

For the record, I’m not just making that name up. Back in 1995, the Inter-American Development Bank declared this the World’s Most Dangerous Road. With most sections being only one lane, and with a sheer cliff ever present, many cars, buses and trucks have met their dark fate.

Until 2006 the Death Road was the only road connecting the town of Coroico with La Paz. About 10 years ago a new paved 2-lane road was constructed and, of course, everyone now uses that road. But the old road is still there, and it was up to us to drive The World’s Most Dangerous Road!!!

We found the entrance and marked it for future overlanders! (In case you miss the tiny Sprinter Life sticker, just email me for the GPS coordinates)

Once we turned off the main highway we found ourselves in the clouds on a narrow dirt road clinging to the side of the cliff. Everyone was in good spirits! The tribe was feeling it.

How they built this road I have no idea. It was literally chiseled out of the side of the mountain.

One thing became crystal clear, wearing a seat belt was a moot point. Any mistake on this road and they’d never even find the Sprinter, yet alone our bodies. 

Having said that, did I think it was ACTUALLY dangerous? I don’t know. The road was one lane, and had frequent pull outs, so as long as you paid attention there didn’t seem to be any significant danger.  But I will say that you wouldn’t want to be driving this road if you had any fear of heights.

Assuming you can drive in a straight line and you’re not drunk, you’re gonna be just fine. The only wild card would be the road just giving out underneath you. And there were plenty of places where the road seemed to be falling into the abyss.

I’m not sure if it was for show or what, but in a few places there were actually “guard rails.” But I highly doubt these toothpicks would stop a car, even moving at a slow speed.

As we journeyed down the mountain there were ever present reminders that there are people in the world who can’t drive in a straight line, or were dunk. I cannot imagine being a bus passenger driving down this road back in the day. Terrifying would be an understatement. 

We took it slow, and I drove extremely careful. About an hour into the drive I noticed that Sol had fallen asleep. I was super disappointed.

Really Soleil, falling asleep on the Death Road? Is that what it’s come to? Your Mother and I “BORE” you on The World’s Most Dangerous Road! <sigh>. Guess I’m gonna have to up our game. 

We eventually found a good spot that was wide enough for us to pull in and have lunch. It was a spectacular perch and Stevie whipped us up some grub.

After lunch Sol got her second wind. Good to see some family enthusiasm. That’s Daddy’s little girl!

We’ve driven a lot of roads from Mexico to Bolivia. There were many I thought were way more sketchy than this one, like the road to Santa Teresa in Peru (remember here).

But I would have to say that this is one of the most beautiful drives we’ve ever done!

After about 5 hours we finally crested a ridge and saw the tiny town of Coroico perched on the side of a mountain.

If you ever get a chance to drive “The World’s Most Dangerous Road,” I would highly recommend doing it! If not, here is a short video clip of our drive. (note, I’m not trying to win and cinematography awards. It’s just some broken clips). Click here to watch…

 Sprinter Life on-sights The World’s Most Dangerous Road 

This was one of my best days driving in the last 4 years. Thank you universe for such a wonderful experience and for allowing us to pass safely!

-TREE

Some cool throw-back photos of when this road was heavily used…

The fact is, Stevie is working on a big writing project with a May 31st deadline. It’s really hard to get consistency when on the road, so we decided to hang here an extra week so she could work.

Since we left Lima, we’ve been in the habit of hiring a baby sitter for a few hours a day when we’re in one spot for longer than a week. It’s ridiculously cheap, and gives Stevie time during the day to write. Plus, I think it’s great for Sol to connect with real native speakers. I’m pretty sure her first words are gonna be in Spanish.

Sol, with her niñera, Lyndsay.

Of course, there is no substitution for PaPa!

However, Stevie is a little down on my baby sitting skills lately. My latest thing was to teach her how to play drums on all the kitchenware. It makes a LOT of noise and Sol loves it, but apparently it’s not conducive to a quiet writing environment.

I’ve been getting out climbing as much as possible. Trying to get back into climbing shape… ahhhh, it’s a difficult endeavor.  That stupid sport really is something you have to do all the time. Unlike kayaking and surfing, it’s so hard to off-the-couch it. The climbing around La Paz is worthy though, so I’m keepin at it.

We’ve also been taking in other La Paz attractions. The other day we went to the famous Flor De Leche, Belgium owned cheese factory. They make a seriously gourmet fondue, and it should be a “must hit” for anyone passing through. It’s not cheap, but is so worth it.

Soleil is definitely her mother’s daughter. Check out her eyeballing the bottle of reserve.

We’re finally far enough south where we’re starting to score some ridiculously good bottles of wine. Life is getting better. Slowly starting to learn the good labels as well. This one is a win.

Like me, Sol is not a fan of potatoes.

While we were at Flor De Leche, we met this really cool couple, Patty and Ivan, and their little daughter Yarra. They invited us to lunch at the very fancy La Paz Tennis Club a few days later, which we gladly accepted.

We didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out that Patty is the daughter of the former President of Bolivia.  OK. Wow!  

We were stoked to get to get her honest and compassionate insight into her country’s recent history and development.  They were such warm, welcoming and wise people.  We really liked them. Wish we could spend a bunch more time hangin out.

This was very fortuitous encounter for Stevie. In every country we go, she really likes to dive into the politics and issues of the country.

Full disclosure – Upon entering Bolivia, Stevie was starry-eyed for the current Bolivian President, Evo Morales, the socialist who turned the country upside down, who has won international acclaim for his support of indigenous rights and anti-imperialism, and who basically told the US to F’ off when it came to the regulation of growing coca.

Although he sounded great on paper, after arriving in country we quickly learned that Evo is not a champion of coca for the traditional indigenous use of chewing, but rather he is a puppet for the coca cartels located in Santa Cruz. They’re goal is simple, grow coca and transport it to Colombia where it will work it’s way to the US. Getting the US DEA out of the country was a logical first step. How does the coca then get from Colombia to the US? Remember this Sprinter Life post – Drug Smuggling For Dummies.

Stevie was bummed. Me, I just wish the United States would mind their own damn business in the world and stop trying to manipulate other countries. And for the war on drugs… what a complete joke. Anyone who still believes that is a worthy war to be fighting has their head in the sand.

The way to deal with this situation is simple.

1) Immedielty acknowledge that this is a consumption problem, not a trafficing problem, and WE, the USA, are to blame since we by percentage consume most of the illegal drugs in the world.

2) We need to let go of our fear and legalize all drugs in the US. Think that’s a stupid idea? Do some research on what’s happened in Portugal over the last 5 years after they did just that. And read this Sprinter Life post to get more facts…  The War On Drugs Cannot Be Won – Read Now

We’re out of here on Monday.

-TREE

Having been here for over a week now, I have to say that we really like it. La Paz is great!

Of course, the place we’re staying makes all the difference.  The Oberland Campground and Hotel is a revolving door for overland travelers, mostly all European. One of the things we were most excited about when we arrived was that Coen and Karin from Landcruising Adventures were posted up here. We’ve been following these guys for years. They are in an elite class of overlanders. They’ve been on the road for ten years, having driven through Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and South America. They are pros. The real deal.

The famous Cruiser

After hearing about our pathetic entrace into La Paz with no GPS, Coen quickly set out to fix the problem, and by the end of our first night our GPS was fully operational, with maps not only for Bolivia, but also Argentina and Brazil.

We had a couple of really fun nights hanging out with Coen and Karin. We really connected with them.

Unfortunately, they are heading north and we are heading south. They flew to Europe for a month, and when they return they are off to Peru. Will we see them again? I don’t think they’re gonna stop traveling, and I know we aren’t, so the chances are high. We’ll see. Maybe Africa?

There were a bunch of other Euros in and out of the campground as well. Check this cool rig out. This young French couple has been rocking it counter clockwise around South America. We’ll see them again for sure.

And of course there are the Kiwis. These guys are heading to Alaska. Will and Rochelle, good game.

We had one connection when we arrived in Bolivia. Our close friend, Arlene Burns, hooked us up with Jose, a La Paz native. Turns out he is a rock climber to boot! I was pretty fired up to get out there and climb. The local rock doesn’t “look” very stellar, but it actually climbs quite well.

One of the other reasons we’ve been waiting to get to La Paz was to see an American trained doctor. We haven’t mentioned this yet, but, back in Cusco, Peru, Soleil was diagnosed with very mild hip dysplasia. We’ve been pretty worried about it, because, frankly we didn’t trust the doctors in Peru (with Lima being an exception). Stevie went to 4 different doctors, though, and they all said the same thing independently. They prescribed Sol this special “diaper” to wear at night to fix the problem, but I never felt fully confident.  We couldn’t find any information about the Freijka harness online, which was unsettling to say the least.

Stevie tracked down a doctor in La Paz through IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers) who I felt was going to be legit. Our plan was to have him diagnose the problem from scratch, and if anything at all was wrong, we’d jump a plane to the US. I have to tell you, I was super nervous leading up to this. Sol didn’t seemed too fussed about it though.

Step one was to get an Xray. We had had an ultrasound in Cusco, but the Xray was supposed to be more accurate.

In classic South American form, just getting the xray turned out to be an all day affair. Nothing is easy down here. It’s just not.

We finally got the xray and then took it across town to the specialist. By this time it was almost 7pm. The good news is that he saw almost nothing wrong. Her hips are off by one degree. Very minor. We’ll keep her in the harness and continue to watch it. We’ll do another checkup in Sucre (Southern Bolivia) in a month, then another one in Argentina the next month, then one when we get to the US in August.

So, that’s what we’ve been doing in La Paz. We’ll hang a few days more, and then head south.

-TREE

===========================================================

New Video:

Are you serious? I’m gone climbing for ONE afternoon, and this is what I find when I come home and download the camera.

Click Here To Watch

Unbelievable. Just 3 questions for my lovely wife…

1) What the hell are you teaching our daughter?

2) What happened to Sesame Street?

3) Honey, I thought ‘BEAST IT’ was our special thing???

Before leaving, we went up to the cathedral to have our van blessed. We’re not religious, but this is a big thing in Bolivia. I figured it couldn’t hurt.

We parked in front of the church and proceeded to allow Sol to “abre puertas”.

The whole blessing process starts with decorating the vehicle, and the locals were more than happy to help us.

Stevie was really digging this effort. She’s into things like this. She likes rituals, and she really liked dressing the van up.

After a while the priest came out and without asking, without hesitation, he walked over and promptly blessed Soleil.

Then he huddled us in a circle and told us that he was going to bless the van so that,

“We didn’t get into a car crash, and that we didn’t kill anyone”

Then he walked around the van throwing water on it.

Below, with holy water still dripping off her forehead, Sol gives me “the look”.

Translation – “Did you really just let that guy pour water all over my head?”

Ok, officially blessed. Time to head into Bolivia proper.

About an hour down the road, we ran out of road. There was a half mile of water between us and the only way forward. When I saw the ferry that we were meant to board, I was feeling a lot better that we had taken the time to bless the van.

I’m not going to lie to you… I was more then a little nervous about this “boat”.

I’m no Nautical Engineer, but something just didn’t feel solid about this vessel.

Was it the fact that I could see water when I looked down through the gaping holes in the rotting boards? Perhaps. It’s hard to say.

I wasn’t the only one who was nervous. Sol had a worried look on her face the second the van started rocking back and forth from the waves. Stevie and I decided it was best to unbuckle her from the car seat.

We agreed that if the boat sank, I would grab Sol and she would grab Kiki. I suggested she take off her boots. It’s easier to tread water when you’re not wearing high cut leather footwear. That’s a fact. You can Google it.

Stevie quickly pulled some of the “blessed” decorations off the van and put them on Kiki. Everyone who follows Sprinter Life knows that Kiki can’t swim.

And off we go.

The blessing must have worked, because we made it across without incident and continued on our way. Our plan was to drive a few more hours to the town of Sorata up in the mountains.

Along the way we took in the images of Bolivia. It’s always great to see a new country for the first time.

 Bolivian car wash

 Bolivian Auto Shop

Locals working their land

One of the reasons we wanted to go to Sorata was to get closer to the mountains that we had seen from Isla Del Sol (remember here). Given that we were already driving at around 13,000 feet, it’s obvious that these things are BIG. We climbed over this one to Sorata on the other side.

Dropping off the mountain on the back side, looking down at Sorata below.

Sorata was a nice little mountain town. We posted up at a hostel on the plaza. There was no internet to speak of, so we knew this was going to be a one night stand.

The next morning we got up early and started the drive to La Paz. More great sights on our way into the big city.

We knew La Paz was going to be cruxy since our GPS had no readable maps on it. This city is the real deal. A nightmare maze of narrow, one-way streets with NO signs anywhere. We were on the north side and needed to get all the way to the south. I was prepared for the worst.

As we approached the perimeter, Stevie rolled down her window at a red light and asked a guy how to get to the south. He shouted a couple instructions, the light turned green, and we drove on. At the next light he pulled up on my side, rolled down his window, and shouted “follow me”. Then he proceeded to lead us for nearly an hour and a half across the city to where we needed to go.

This guy is either our secret guardian angel in disguise, or he felt so incredibly sorry for us that he couldn’t stand the thought of sending us across the city alone!

Either way, thank you Mr Angel in the cruiser with the cross on it. You saved our day, and quite possibly our marriage.

Our destination was Oberlander, a Hostel that has a parking lot on the southern outskirts of La Paz. This is a refuge in a giant sea of brown buildings and concrete. The owner allows overlanders to camp in the parking lot on their way through La Paz.

We set up in the corner and said hi to the other overlanders, some of whom we’ve known for years via the internet.

Sol was pretty thrilled when I told her we’d be camping in the van. She absolutely loves it when we all sleep together.

We’ve got some things to do here, so we’ll probably hang for about a week. I’m scared to leave the compound, but Stevie really wants to go see the Fighting Cholas in La Paz.  That should be interesting. I told her I’m not driving anywhere. So, taxi it is.

-TREE

“Why yes, I’m almost always smiling!”

I have to admit, birthdays have always been a big deal to me. I’ve always taken them very seriously. They were a time to reflect on where I was in my life. What was I doing? Where was I going? Was I happy? And most importantly, how was it that time was going by so damn fast? I was always surprised that I actually made it another year. (Yes, I’ve had a near death experience about every year that I can remember. Here is this years, remember here).

Before I was with Stevie, I spent my birthdays alone. This was a solo day. It usually consisted of being alone, in the mountains, and almost always high on mushrooms. As I said, it was a time for reflection.

Throw back photo, self portrait, first time shared, birthday #31

On milestone birthday years, I always embarked on a solo mission. Por ejemplo, on my 14th I skipped school and biked across the Willamette Valley. On my 30th I soloed the Leaning Tower in Yosemite. Check out some more crazy throw back photos here… Leaning Tower Solo

Always searching for purpose. Always searching for meaning. I mean seriously, god damn, we only have one lap through this show. What’s the purpose? How do we measure it? What does it all mean? If you don’t stop to ask these questions, well then, you may as well just be dead right now.

Ever since I’ve been with Stevie, birthdays have changed.

Birthday… it’s a shared day now. It’s a different type of reflection. No longer do I spend the day alone, questioning. Where am I? Am I on track? Am I happy? Those questions are answered. The answer is in this photo below.

So, that’s probably more information than you needed. Let’s move on.

We arrived on the Island and rented this little hut for about $9 a night. It’s crazy how cheap Bolivia is, even compared to Peru. I could get stuck here.

Yeah, sure, the hut looks small in the photo, but check out the wicked view of Lake Titicaca and Llampu, the 4th highest mountain in Bolivia. Cha-Ching.

This island definitely has an Aegean feel with the aqua blue water and view of the Isla de Luna.

Not a bad hang for my big 39th! I really can’t think of a cooler spot to be, nor could I imagine being with three better beauties. Stevie, Sol, and Kiki…. thanks for an amazing day.

Although I was pretty content to just sit on our little deck and drink beers, there were some things to see. So we packed the family up and went to explore the island. Below Stevie puffs up the famous “Inca Stairs” (13,000 ft altitude).

It’s was pretty embarrassing to struggle up and down the island’s slopes while being passed by 90 year old locals carrying loads on their back. But hey, I’m 39 now. Those hills are steep!

Our main target for the big hike was the famous Inca ruins located on the southern tip of the Island. We were making really good time and enjoying the views.

That is until we got here. Some genius entrepreneur decided to put a single table with two chairs RIGHT on the trail to the ruins. And he was selling cold beer. This guy needs investors.

Ok, we didn’t make it to the ruins. The math was quite simple for me. In the last few years I’ve seen thousands of thousand year old piles of rocks. But this was the first trail-side-beer-stand-complete-with-stunning-view-hang that I’ve encountered. Game, set, match. Bring me another, Maestro. 

We didn’t really need to see another set of ruins anyway. We had way more fun getting to know the locals.

Side note: It’s pretty funny to be traveling in remote places like this. The morning we left people were looking at us all funny as we boarded the boat to the Island. I’m not sure what they were most shocked at, the fact that we had a tiny baby, the fact that I was carrying a fluffy groomed dog down the dock, or the fact that Stevie was wearing her high black leather boots and her fancy knee long Patagonia down coat. We seriously must look like a circus.

I love this photo of my three favorite ladies. How lucky am I?

This photo all but sums up Spinter Life these days. A sunset hang. A bottle of wine. And a dirty diaper.

It was a great couple days. We’re getting ready to head out on the road again. We’ll check out the mountains to the east before working our way to La Paz. We haven’t been able to get our GPS to work in Bolivia, so it should be an extra interesting drive. Nothing tests a relationship like navigating a 3rd world country with an outdated paper map. Trust me.

-TREE

But once we got to Copacabana, we immediately fell in love with Bolivia! I can already tell that we’re gonna have a great time exploring this country. It has it’s own unique coolness, right down to the hundreds of yellow swan peddle boats lining the shore of Lake Titicaca.

Bizarre… ummm, yes.   Super-Duper Cool… most definitely.

Our first order of business was figuring out connectivity. For the last year all we’ve heard is how much the internet sucks in Bolivia. It’s true. Now,  I appreciate the emails and comments about how I should just “disconnect and relax”, but that’s just not realistic. Imagine if I came to your job in the middle of the day and said, “Hey, don’t worry about your work, just relax.” You might not have a job for long. Likewise, I’ve got to be connected, or there might be no more Sprinter Life.

The wifi at the hotel we’re staying at was a joke. Not usable (that’s why Stevie hasn’t been online much, in case her peeps were wondering). We had to figure something out. I ended up buying a SIM card from Tigo, the national phone company. I plugged this into our unlocked USB stick and dropped that into our travel router. Bingo, instant crappy wifi.

With this set up I’m able to work, barely. I can’t skype or chat, but I can get on email and access Outdoorplay.

We’re expecting the internet to get better in the bigger cities and towns, but with this set-up I can keep things rocking when we’re rural.

With this task accomplished, we really relaxed into our new hang. Our hotel room is bangin’. We have an amazing deck with a view of Lake Titicaca, perfect for happy hour.

We’ve already received several “funny” comments about the name, Lake Titicaca (all my friends, not Stevie’s… if that says anything). Alright, yes, it’s a funny name. It sounds like “TITS” and “CACA”. Ok. Let’s move on.

This place is actually legit. It is the largest lake in South America. It is the highest navigable lake in the world, with an elevation of 12,507 ft. According to Incan lore, the god Viracocha arose from Lake Titicaca to create the world. He commanded the sun (Inti…Sol’s name in Quechua), moon (Mama Kilya) and stars to rise, then went to Tiahuanaco to create the first human beings, Mallku Kapac and Mama Ocllo. These first humans, the “Inca Adam and Eve,” were formed from stone and brought to life by Viracocha, who commanded them to go out and populate the world. Thus Lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the Incas.

And did I mention, the sunsets are unreal.
(See the Sprinter’s rocket box in the lower right hand corner of photo?)

After a day of relaxing, we set off to explore the town. It’s a nice place. Small. It has everything you need. The place is composed of locals, and dreadlocked Argentinian backpackers. Not a bad mix.

Overall we like Copacabana, a lot. This will be a hard place to leave.

But leave we will. We have to keep moving. I know it seems like a long way out, but we have plane tickets to fly back to the USA on August 1st, leaving from Santiago, Chile. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover in that time.

We aren’t leaving before we explore the lake though. Tomorrow we’ll board the mighty “Titicaca,” and take a two hour boat ride to the Isla Del Sol, an Island in the middle of the lake that has many Inca ruins.

The timing couldn’t be better. Tomorrow is my birthday. What a cool way to bring in a new year.

-TREE